There are many different types of traps used in Polish forestry to fight and to control the appearance of harmful insects or insect pests. Among these are the tube-type Borregaard traps, the slit box Theysohn traps, as well as segment-shaped and triangular barrier type ones. The Czech Republic, in turn, favors the cross barrier-type Ecotrap traps.
The traps usually consist of a catching part and a container for storing captured insects. With the noted exception of the Theysohn trap, the storage containers are usually bottle-shaped. Their bottoms usually have, in the center, a small opening, covered with fine mesh. In the Theysohn traps the container for storing captured insects has an oblong shape, and has the form of a removable drawer, located at the bottom of the trap. The trap's bottom contains three, symmetrically spaced out openings, covered with metal mesh. In traps used in the Czech Republic, the entire bottom of the trap is made up of a fine mesh.
In spite of the openings situated into the bottoms of the catching containers used for storing the captured insects, they are often fill up with rainwater. This is due to low permeability of the mesh, its predisposition to getting clogged up, as well as to the openings being placed in the center of the bottoms of the containers. Due to the fact that it is practically impossible to hang the traps in the field, in such a way that would assure the horizontal position of the containers, rainwater tends to linger within, following periods of precipitation. The increased moisture, in such traps, accelerates the decomposition of the captured insects. Their remains, together with other collected debris (conifer needles, pieces of fallen buds and flowers, dust etc.), in turn, contribute to the clogging of the mesh. Shortcomings in system of drainage and storage of captured pests, result in conditions attracting scavenging insects. The noxious odor coming off the decomposing insects, in effect lowers the catch-off rate by as much as fifty percent. Moreover, the alive insects, inside the seldom-emptied containers, generate scents and sounds, which frighten off other insects heading toward the traps. The above mentioned drawbacks of the traps cause that the traps containers have to be emptied at least once a week, which is extremely burdensome, tedious, and expensive—especially in mountainous areas.
The presently used traps are used to catch various insects. However, as a rule, each single trap is designated for catching a specific kind of insects. The Polish patent No. 110924 describes an insect trap, using various types of baiting substances. Its main element is a foil sleeve, mounted on a scaffold, and fastened to a base. Edges of the foil sleeve are placed over the edge of a frame, creating two pockets, into which the captured insects fall.
One of the known solutions is presented in the Polish patent No. 120629, which describes an insect trap used mostly to catch wood worms. The tube-shaped body of this trap is equipped with projections, between which openings are placed. The projections are arranged in corkscrew fashion, facilitating the insects' progression towards the inlet openings.
Another solution is presented in Polish patent No. 123775, which describes a trap for catching butterflies. It is made up of a funnel, with a smooth inner surface, set inside a tube. The funnel is surmounted by a roof with an attached ring, from which the bait is hanged.
The Polish patent No. 123776 describes a trap for catching wood worms. It consists of two triangular pieces of foil, attached to a crossbar. The edges of the foil are folded to form gutters. The tops of the foil pieces are fastened with a clamp collar inside a funnel, connected to a container.
One of the known solutions is presented in the Polish patent No. 150897, which describes a segmented container for storing caught wood worms. Between the top and bottom segments, intermediate segments, equipped with mesh strainers, are placed. These are arranged with the segments containing the most loosely woven mesh, placed above those with the finer mesh.
Another known solution is presented in the Polish patent No. 154420, which describes an earth trap for catching insects. Its main element is a container equipped with an inlet opening, around which an earth mound—with a gradient of 5° to 40°—is made.
The Polish patent No. 167442 describes a ground surface trap, used to catch weevils. It is made up of a closed container, equipped with inlet openings, drainage openings, and a baiting substance. The inlets to this trap are constructed of tubes, let into its interior.
Another trap is presented in the Polish patent No. 170106 and this is a selective field trap for catching flies, including a container with a removable lid, inside of which a source of fumes of a chemical baiting agent is placed.
Known solution is also presented in the Polish patent No. 178779 describing an insect baiting station in the form of a hollow body, with a base, and a cover attached to that base. The cover is equipped with a bridge, situated over the bottom, and a chamber, containing liquid bait.
The Polish patent No. 177998 describes an insert to a grasping trap. It has the form of a truncated cone, with a funnel covered with a nontoxic adhesive substance, applied to the funnel's mantle in trapezoid-shaped strips.